Company Shows Police Appreciation With Gift

SANATOGA PA – A private contractor whose company makes an annual gift to a charitable organization has presented an anonymous 2016 donation of $5,000 to the Lower Pottsgrove Police Department, surprised and appreciative Police Chief Michael Foltz told the township Board of Commissioners. The contribution will be used to buy needed police equipment, Foltz said.

No, the chief acknowledged, the department doesn’t qualify as a charity. The donors, however, who are township residents, “decided the contribution should go to their local police department in appreciation of what law enforcement does for their community,” he reported to commissioners.

Although the size of the gift is singularly impressive, the department has received other donations during the past 12 months and in previous years. During 2016 alone, according to the chief’s annual report, the department received:

A $2,500 donation from Tri-County Federal Credit Union for the purchase of a mobile data laptop computer;

$500 each from Bursich Associates and Traffic Planning And Design to buy a speed radar sign;

$250 from township commercial property owner David Fisher for use in community outreach materials;

$25 from social worker Laura English; and

the most recent $5,000 gift.

The $8,525 in total donations does not include federal Department of Justice funding for the purchase of bullet-proof vests, or reimbursement of special enforcement details covered by state funding, he indicated. Foltz said he was grateful community residents and businesses valued the force and the service it rendered.

Because the department’s budget is part of the township general fund, that’s where the money was deposited, township Manager Ed Wagner said. Board President Bruce Foltz quickly noted it would be earmarked for only the department’s use.